Elmswell

cropsign.JPG (32372 bytes)The village sign on Crown Mill Green near the railway crossing consists of a double faced sign, with each side showing a different period in the history of Elmswell. It was unveiled with much ceremony and celebration on June 30th 1995. Side one remembers the visit of King Henry the VI in 1433 and shows the Lancastrian king being welcomed by the abbot of Bury St Edmunds. The foreground a Benedictine monk is seen setting a snare for a rabbit. Side two symbolises the coming of the railway, our agricultural heritage, and tucked away near the pigs which represent the Bacon Factory, are the Almshouses. St Johns church appears on both sides of the sign.

Elmswell is conveniently situated on the A14 corridor, 9 miles east of the market town of Bury St Edmunds and 7 miles west of Stowmarket. Cambridge and Ipswich are within easy reach offering the visitor a taste of history, culture, education and of course all the shopping you could wish for. The village has developed and grown over recent years, and it's population is currently in the region of 3500 with over 1200 houses.

There are a wide variety of shops, churches and pubs in Elmswell, so have a look at the site map to see a good selection of them. The main shop is the Co-op which has the Post Office just to the left, in what I suppose is the heart of the village at the crossroads of School Road and Station Road. It has just about every thing you would ever need but obviously not as cheap as the supermarkets in Stowmarket. Also there is the Mace in Station Road, which has the license for the lottery and also has video's for hire. In the waiting room of the Railway Station is the TravelStop travel agents, which is a superb use of the available space and guaranteed to catch depressed passengers on their journey! Other shops in Elmswell include a flower shop, pet food shop, organ store, hairdressers, fish farm and a some garages. The two pubs are The Fox and the Railway Tavern. The Fox is next to the level crossing, and the Tavern is on School road opposite the Fire Station.

There are 2 other web sites about Elmswell that I would like to recommend. The History Group have a web site which has a lot of information on Elmswell in bygone years (have a look at the old photo's). The excellent Kiln Meadow wildlife project web site is also certainly worth a visit. To quote"our aim of the project is twofold: to conserve and protect wildlife, and also to allow the local community to enjoy and learn about that wildlife". Do you know of any other sites that are worth recommending? If so, please mail me at webmaster@elmswell.org.uk.